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Section 156: Supplementary provisions as to payments for treatment

Road Traffic Act 1972 · 1972 c. 20View on legislation.gov.uk

Part VI: Third-Party Liabilities

A payment falling to be made under section 154 or 155 of this Act in respect of treatment in a hospital shall be made—

in the case of a hospital vested in the Secretary of State for the purposes of the National Health Service Act 1946, not being a teaching hospital (within the meaning of that Act), to the Regional Hospital Board for the area where the hospital is situated,
in the case of such a teaching hospital, to the Board of Governors of the hospital,
in the case of a hospital vested in the Secretary of State, to the Secretary of State or on his behalf to any Regional Hospital Board or Board of Management authorised by him for the purpose,
in the case of any other hospital, to the hospital.

A claim for a payment under section 155 of this Act may be made at the time when the emergency treatment is effected, by oral request to the person who was using the vehicle, and if not so made must be made by request in writing served on him within seven days from the day on which the emergency treatment was effected; and any such request in writing—

must be signed by the claimant or in the case of a hospital, by an executive officer of the Board or hospital claiming the payment or by an officer of the Secretary of State, must state the name and address of the claimant, the circumstances in which the emergency treatment was effected, and that it was first effected by the claimant or, in the case of a hospital, in the hospital,
may be served by delivering it to the person who was using the vehicle or by sending it in a prepaid registered letter, or the recorded delivery service, addressed to him at his usual or last-known address.

A sum payable under the said section 155 shall be recoverable as if it were a simple contract debt due from the person who was using the vehicle to the practitioner, Board or hospital, or the Secretary of State.

A payment made under the said section 155 shall operate as a discharge, to the extent of the amount paid, of any liability of the person who was using the vehicle, or of any other person, to pay any sum in respect of the expenses or remuneration of the practitioner or hospital concerned of or for effecting the emergency treatment.

A chief officer of police shall, if so requested by a person who alleges that he is entitled to claim a payment under the said section 155, furnish to that person any information at the disposal of the chief officer as to the identification marks of any motor vehicle which that person alleges to be a vehicle out of the use of which the bodily injury arose and as to the identity and address of the person who was using the vehicle at the time of the event out of which it arose.

About this text

This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These source and reuse terms cover the legislation text, not Remedy's commentary.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.